The moment that word reached our ears, every single Knight, and little old me, marching with them, charged forth! My heart thumped with anticipation as I ran as fast as my mana-less legs would take me. I was constantly surpassed by the full metal Knights that ran past me to tear the flesh from our foe.
Still, I wasn’t so much slower that I was left behind; I merely wouldn’t get first blood. The sounds that hit my ears were what really got my blood pumping. I could hear the mystical spells whooshing across the field, accompanied by dazzling effects. Then the blood-curdling screams of anguish that resounded out from injury and death.
These were experiences I’d never have gotten had I stayed back on Earth! And I was all here for it, even licking my lips as my legs carried me forth.
Then, my eyes saw it. The absolute beauty of the two front lines of pure steel clashing at the front lines. Our Knights finally joined in battle alongside the black-robed Sentinels. Even in the sky, the battle raged on.
Even though the general was no longer chopping his adversaries up, as the giant of a man with the enormous shield had made it back and engaged our leader in battle, swinging his shield like it was a baseball bat while his silver robes swayed in the wind.
Honestly, the worst part about this charge thus far was having to watch my step from all the bodies and carnage that had remained since yesterday’s conflict. This didn’t seem like an issue for the Knights, as they merely crushed whatever they stepped upon. For me, it considerably lowered my speed.
As the two front lines of Foundation Stage cultivators met in battle, the battle lines widened as everyone began fighting wherever they could find room. At this point, there was no strategy, just pure unadulterated carnage and bloodshed of two armies trying to annihilate the other. Even the Generals themselves, the two strongest on this battlefield, fought in the open sky.
In this world, strategy seems to be involved only in the time before the battle unfolds and how the battle starts; for once it starts, strategy leaves the field.
Then, finally, my moment came! I reached the battle lines as steel crossed steel, and bodies dropped like sacks, blood spilling out from the wounds. I held my fists up, guarding my face and vitals as I ducked into an oncoming soldier’s side as his sword swung over my head. The enemy’s bright silver armor gleamed in the morning sun’s rays as I struck with a double jab toward the side of the man’s helmeted head.
I felt the impact twice as both jabs struck the man, and his head jolted slightly! I felt the recoil, though most of it was absorbed by the gauntlets. So, although I didn’t hurt myself, my meager strength also failed to hurt my foe.
Feeling a sense of danger, I jumped back as the enemy soldier came with a backward swing of his sword that missed and almost went straight into the ground. Yet, before I could counter, the man pivoted his feet, rotated his sword arm, using his own momentum in a small circular loop to bring the sword back up in an underarm upward strike.
I didn’t have enough time or room to fully dodge, so I just tried to lean back as fast as I could, causing his sword to cut open my linen shirt from bottom to top, and the only skin it struck was the tip of my chin, where a small trickle of blood bloomed. However, before either of us could make our next move, an ally Knight of mine appeared behind the soldier, cleaving him in two with a greatsword.
The Knight didn’t pay me any heed or say a word as he merely went forth to find another foe. At this point, I realized again that with my current strength, I couldn’t fight like I normally did, no matter how much I enjoy it. I can’t get through their armor with my strength, even with these sharp-clawed gauntlets. No, I needed to find gaps in the armor and use these sharp claws to pierce the skin and bone directly.
Just as I was about to move, a body came crashing down from the sky right before my feet, showing it to be one of the black-robed Sentinels from our side, dead. His body was missing an arm, his face half scorched, and three deep puncture wounds in his chest as he lay there lifeless. I also knew Blondie was probably up there fighting as well, and that got me even more excited, as I didn’t want to stay so far behind.
I pumped my arms back up in a defensive position as I moved. I dodged a spear that was thrust, pivoted to the side, and kicked out to push him into a Knight’s axe that landed on the man’s shoulder. Leaving that fight alone, another enemy soldier charged me after decapitating an Imperial Knight!
This one, wielding a greatsword he hefted with both hands, charged me, the sword held near his left shoulder, its blade pointed to the sky. Then, with one big forward stomp, the man tilted and slammed all his weight into a rightward cleave, aimed to separate my torso into two!
With the man’s speed, I didn’t have many options, so I went with my instincts, dropped low onto my knees, using my forward momentum to slide across the mud, ignoring the pain of metal fragments and weapons that cut into my legs. I bent my waist to lean back as I slid, the sword passing overhead, causing my hair to fray from the air pressure of the swing.
As I arrived right below the man, I sprang up with all the force I could muster, my right hand, underarm up, clawed fingers tightly together as I brought it straight up, hooking it under the man’s helmet and into the bottom of his chin. A gurgle of blood painted his bright silver faceplate red as he dropped his sword and staggered back, bringing me with him since my hand was still pierced into his chin and throat.
I was now on top of his body as he lay on the ground bleeding out; I yanked my hand free, tearing flesh and bone as blood squirted. It was in this moment that I seemed to be overtaken by a blood rage! My blood rushed to my head, and the cacophony of sounds deafened my ears as I realized that I had truly found myself in my ideal world.
"Now this is Total War!"